Backsplash Tile Installation

The Wall That Takes Every Splash

A backsplash protects the wall between the countertop and the upper cabinets from water, grease and steam. In a Bellevue kitchen, where windows stay closed for much of the year and cooking moisture has fewer places to go, that wall works harder than people expect. The tile itself rarely fails. What fails is the preparation behind it and the joint beneath it.

We set backsplash tile as the final step after countertop replacement, and on its own when the counters are staying.

Why the Backsplash Usually Changes With the Counter

People often hope to keep an existing tile backsplash when new counters go in. It rarely works. The bottom row of tile is bonded to the top edge of the old counter, and a new 3cm stone top almost never matches the height of the old laminate or tile top. The gap either opens up or the new slab will not slide in. Pulling old tile off also peels the paper face from the drywall, which has to be repaired or replaced before anything new goes up.

So we plan the two together. If you are replacing counters now and want to delay the backsplash, we can leave the wall clean and ready.

Preparing the Wall

Tile will copy every bump and hollow in the wall it is set on, and under-cabinet lighting shines straight down that wall and makes every uneven tile edge cast a shadow. Before setting, we:

• Repair or replace damaged drywall and skim high and low spots flat.
• Check that outlets and switches will sit flush once tile is added, and install box extenders where the new surface thickness requires them. Countertop receptacles need GFCI protection, and if the existing ones do not have it, that is the moment to correct it.
• Mark a level line off the counter, since counters are not always perfectly level and the tile needs a true reference.
• Lay out the pattern so cuts are balanced around the range hood and the window, rather than leaving a thin sliver of tile in the most visible corner.

Choosing the Tile

Ceramic and Porcelain

Glazed ceramic is the classic subway tile: affordable, easy to cut, and easy to clean. Porcelain is denser and absorbs less water, and it is a good choice for large-format tile or anywhere behind a heavily used range.

Glass

Glass tile reflects light well in a gray-weather kitchen, but it is less forgiving. It needs a white setting material so the adhesive does not show through, careful cutting, and a very flat wall, because its surface shows every uneven edge.

Stone Slab Backsplash

A full-height backsplash cut from the same quartz or stone as the counter eliminates grout altogether. It costs more in material and fabrication, and it needs precise measurement around outlets, but it is the easiest wall to wipe down.

Grout and the Joint at the Counter

Narrow joints around 1/8 inch take unsanded or fine grout. Cement-based grout is porous and benefits from sealing; epoxy and high performance grouts resist staining better and cost more to install.

The most important detail is the joint where the tile meets the countertop. That is a change of plane, where the wall and the counter move slightly differently as the house heats up in summer and dries out when the furnace runs. Grout there cracks. We leave a small gap and fill it with a color matched flexible sealant instead, and we do the same at inside corners. It is a small detail that keeps water out of the gap behind the counter and away from the cabinet backs.

Timing

Backsplash tile is installed after the counters are set and the plumbing is reconnected. A typical kitchen takes two or three days, including time for the setting material to cure before grouting, and the sealant is applied last.

Call (425) 894-0373 to plan your backsplash with your countertop project.